New with 99 Corolla
 

Hey hey everybody what do you know about my new to me 99 Toyota Corolla.

Lets start with what I know: I can block some of the grill and I can add pizza pans or something like it to flatten the hubcaps. The underbelly in the engine bay seems to be pretty flat and the motor itself is in decent condition.

This car is commuter vehicle for my significant other as well as the best mile per gallon car that we own so it gets almost all of our car traveling. My goal with this car is to get the best mpg while still maintaining an image not unlike the stock version. So any info that you all can refer me to is helpful.

Thanks for all that this site has already accomplished.

Welcome! Tell us more about her/your commute. How long is it, how much freeway v. city streets? How fast does she/you drive in relation to the speed limit? How much congestion?

The commute averages out to 42 miles round trip with about 75 % Hwy travel. She tends to drive between 60 and 75 mph with some semi aggressive stop and go driving. The traffic is worst on Fridays the rest of the week it is smooth sailing.

Greg

I see you've got a Scangauge installed, and it's an automatic. If she can get it into top gear TC lockup early and just cruise at 60 all the way on the freeway, she should be somewhere between the mid-30s and low 40s mpg. Watch the rpms on acceleration, trying to keep them below the shift/TC slip rpm shift to 2500 rpm. Every time it kicks down, your mpg tanks. City stop & go is where you get your worst mpg, so coasting through lights and coasting well in advance of stop signs will gain her a lot of mpg. The other big killer is high speeds. The closer she can stay to the 55-60 mph range, the higher her trip mpg will be. It's very significant. Try a 5 or 10 mile drive on the same route at 55 and again at 70 mph. You'll see a 10 mpg difference between the two.